This morning all I could think about was baking, I have missed being in the kitchen SOOOO much lately. Tonight I was determined to get in there for a bit. I did very good making it about an hour and half and getting both things done I wanted. Although we ended up with take out instead of the hot dish I had planned… oh well baking is more important.

My favorite muffin hands down is double chocolate muffins, I love the Otis Spunkmeyer ones but hate paying the price for them. I decided to make some of my own, one problem was I had no unsweetened chocolate, so I used almond bark. They are AWESOME and taste good, and taste like double chocolate, but don’t really look like double chocolate

Double Chocolate Muffins (From: Diana’s Desserts)

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips
• Additional semisweet chocolate chips, for topping muffins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Spray 6 giant-size muffin cups or 12 regular muffin cups (I got 18 muffins) with non-stick cooking spray, or line muffin cups with muffin or cupcake liners.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave on medium-high heat for 25 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, then add sour cream and milk. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour flour mixture into butter mixture and stir together by hand. Stir in melted chocolate, then chocolate chips.

Fill each muffin cup about three-quarters of the way full with batter, and if desired sprinkle some chocolate chips over top of batter. Bake for about 20 minutes for standard-sized muffins or 25 minutes for giant muffins, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer muffins to wire rack to cool completely. Muffins are best eaten fresh.

Adam came home with a paper bag full of pears and apples last week from a customer that had apple and pear trees in his backyard. I knew I wanted to do some baking with them as there was NO way we would be able to eat all the fruit before it went bad. I wanted to do something different then apple pie. Muffins are so simple to grab and go and also easy to give away and with all the baking I was going to do I planned to give lots away.

I made these into mini muffins for no reason other then I ran out of regular size paper liners and didn’t want to fuss with spraying the pan. But these are cute and yummy.

Apple Muffins (From: Ellie Krieger)

• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown  sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry  flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup natural applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-capacity muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the pecans and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.

Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pecan mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

I do not like fruit, it’s the texture of most of them, I love the flavor but not the texture. Pears are one of the rare ones that I do not like the flavor of either. So when I realized I had a dozen pears to use up I had NO idea what to do with them.

I decided that muffins are a easy and simple way to use them up, and can be something Adam can grab and go for breakfast. I have to say the batter for these muffins tasted amazing, I love the nutmeg, and I made myself a muffin without pears and it was very good.

Autumn Pear Muffins (From: The Taste of Home Baking Book)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely chopped ripe pears

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla; stir into crumb mixture just until moistened. Fold in the pears.

Scoop in muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool.

These were my favorite muffins out of two I made, the chocolate and vanilla really go together.

I will be making these muffins again and again! YUMMY!

Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Muffins (Found On: Delish, Orginally Adapted From: Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter)

• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• vanilla sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  Set aside.  Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, cream the butter and vanilla together for about a minute.  Gradually add in the sugar, then mix for an additional minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Blend in the eggs, one at a time, then mix for another minute.  With the mixer on low, stir in about half the flour mixture, then the sour cream, then the remaining flour mixture. Gently stir in the chocolate chunks.

Portion the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 23 – 25 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and the tops are springy to the touch.  Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and place on a rack to cool further.

I cannot eat breakfast right away when I wake up in the morning I always have to wait like an hour before I am able too, well during the work week this poses a problem as after an hour I am just arriving to work and am now starving. Last week I decided to make two kinds of muffins to have something quick to grab on the way out the door.

These were wonderful little muffins, they had the perfect amount of orange in them and the glaze just added that extra yummy element.

Orange Cream Cheese Muffins (Adapted From: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, Orginally Adapted From: Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins and More by Carole Walter)

• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• zest of ½ a small orange
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, broken into 3-4 pieces
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, slightly firm
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk (reserved from Pepita Crunch)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a food processor, process the cream cheese, orange juice and orange zest, in three 10-second intervals.
In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the machine and add the cream cheese mixture, and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the superfine sugar in a steady stream, then blend in the eggs, the reserved yolk, and the vanilla. Reduce the mixer to low speed and add flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing just until blended after each addition.

Scoop muffins into a prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with 1 TBSP of the Pepita Crunch. Be sure to use any sugar that remains in the pan.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown an the tops are springy to the touch. To ensure even baking, toward the end of baking time, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. Remove from the oven and place on rack to cool.

Orange Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 5 TBSP fresh orange juice
• 1 ½ tsp light corn syrup

Combine sugar, orange juice and corn syrup. Whisk until smooth and pour over muffins.